Here is my confession: my interest in the green movement, in recycling, and in environmental causes is generally very limited. My Victory Garden has nothing to do with saving the planet or reducing waste. I have a thousand reasons for planting my garden, most of which are very selfish. And that's okay.
1. I am planting a garden because when my sandwich needs a tomato, I want that tomato to be ridiculously fresh and conveniently located just a few steps from my kitchen door.
2. I am planting a garden because even though I am an urban dweller, I grew up in the country and a garden gives me a comforting link back to my roots .
3. I am planting a garden because lettuce from the grocery store smells like chemicals, even after I wash it.
4. I am planting a garden because when my dinner guests compliment my chili on a cold winter night, I want to tell them that the tomatoes came from our garden, lovingly canned by yours truly.
5. I am planting a garden because my mom had a huge garden, with row upon row of tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, green onions, and she trimmed it with beautiful marigolds.
6. I am planting a garden because the price of a can of green beans actually shocks me.
7. I am planting a garden because frozen vegetables look so sad and wrinkly.
8. I am planting a garden because I am a cheapskate at the grocery store, but I still demand quality.
9. I am planting a garden because I like knowing where my food has been before it reaches my table.
10. I am planting a garden because sometimes you just need a little bit of lettuce, but I abhor wasting vegetables that I paid good money for at the grocery.
11. I am planting a garden because I see other people touching the fresh produce at the market a little too much, and then putting it back.
12. I am planting a garden because I want the thrill of victory when the garden is full of life, and the agony of defeat when plants fail to make an appearance above ground.
13. I am planting a garden because I want to feel like I am accomplishing something, even if it is a small something.
14. I am planting a garden because if - should I be blessed with my mom's green thumb - I too end up with a ridiculous amount of tomatoes or peppers or green onions, the farmer's market is full of friendly folks and right down the street.
15. I am planting a garden because if I spend a little more time outdoors, I may get a tan.
16. I am planting a garden because my husband is just as excited about the garden as I am, and I love working on things with him.
17. I am planting a garden because vegetables are more beautiful than grass, and I am nothing if not utilitarian.
18. I am planting a garden because then I can grow mint, which I never remember to pick up at the store, and fresh mint means mint juleps.
19. I am planting a garden because, in my mind, gardening requires a cute, wide-brimmed straw hat trimmed with a ribbon.
20. I am planting a garden because a vegetable garden makes a house into a home.
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